Forgotten Footballer: Ramires

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Brazillian Ramires’ career has come to somewhat of a standstill in recent times.
The 31 year-old midfielder was a record Chinese Super league signing when he joined Jiangsu Suning for a reported £25 million from Chelsea in January 2016 but has found himself banished to the sides reserves after his attempt to force a move back to ex-club Benfica failed.

It’s fair to say Ramires’ plunge into Chinese Football hasn’t exactly gone to plan (Credit: Getty)

The club also already have four non-Chinese players registered to the first team squad in accordance with CSL rules, leaving Ramires with little choice but to play in the reserve side until his contract expiry in January 2019.
It’s been quite a fall from grace for a player who once won some of European Footballs top honours.
Ironically Ramires has been a key player for Jiangsu Suning’s reserve side, recently scoring a brace against 2nd placed Hebei CFFC to clinch the CSL reserve league title with 2 matches remaining.
However, it was only six years ago that Ramires was at the forefront of helping Chelsea to one of their best periods of domestic and continental success.
Ramires was a key figure throughout the Champions League winning campaign of the 2011-12 season, assisting Didier Drogba’s goal in the semi-final first leg against Barcelona and then scoring an exquisite chip over Víctor Valdés in the second leg at the Nou Camp, helping Chelsea to unexpectedly dump the Catalans out of the competition.
The goal won Chelsea’s goal of the year award and although Ramires missed out on the famous final that Chelsea won against Bayern Munich due to yellow cards in both the games against Barcelona, his contribution was not forgotten as he won Players’ Player of the Year and only finished behind Juan Mata for Chelsea Player of the Year.

Víctor Valdés could only look on in despair as the ball sailed over his head into the net from Ramires’ delicate lob (Credit: Graham Chadwick)

As if this success wasn’t enough, Ramires was also a pivotal figure in Chelsea winning the FA Cup in the same season, scoring four goals in six matches throughout the competition, including one in the final against Liverpool which Chelsea won 2-1.
The following season Ramires appeared in the Europa League final against former side Benfica, helping Chelsea to a victory which saw them become the first side to hold the Champions League and Europa League trophies simultaneously.
By the end of his Chelsea career, Ramires had won every major domestic and continental trophy he could with the club, adding the Premier League and Football League Cup to his bulging trophy cabinet in the 2014-15 season.
Ramires signed a new four year contract with the club on 29th October 2015, seemingly set to continue to help the London club to compete for major trophies.

Ramires celebrating with the Football League Cup, one of many trophies he helped Chelsea claim during his time with the club

However after the dismissal of José Mourinho as manager and the return to the club of Guus Hiddink, Ramires found himself dropped to the bench and thus went forward with his transfer to Jiangsu Suning in January 2016.
After appearing regularly during his first two seasons with the club, Ramires has made one senior appearance in 2018 in the Chinese FA Cup. No wonder he’s been so desperate to force a move away.
Now approaching the twilight of his career, Ramires will hope that the January transfer window gives him a chance to resurrect his career and have it end befitting to the success which he has achieved throughout it.
Perhaps a move to former side Benfica will still be on the cards, another club which he had success at, winning the Primeira Liga and Taça da Liga in his only season in Portugal.
Wherever Ramires’ career takes him next, no one can deny him the success of his days at Chelsea, although it would be foolish to write off this Brazilian from having success in Europe once again.